


Renaissance

by Obsidian3



Category: Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: AU, Angst, Boarding School, Crossover, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:05:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7304413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian3/pseuds/Obsidian3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen_ and _Tangled_ are both owned by Disney. Believe me, if I actually owned any percentage of either, I'd have a LOT more free time to devote to writing.

 

**Summary:** First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.

 

**Author's Note:** This story was first published on FF.Net on April 5th, 2014... and was last updated on March 2nd, 2015. To try and shake the dust off of it and get the muse back in gear, I've decided to finally start posting it here, too. Only got the prologue and three other chapters done, so far, though I am (slowly) working on chapter 4. It's a bit... different... from my other Frozen fic, obviously, but I hope you'll like it all the same.

 

* * *

 

_"Go away, Anna!"_

I just didn't understand it. Elsa and I had been the best of friends, once. We'd done everything together: we'd played, we'd read (well, really Elsa had read to me, but she'd done her best to teach me the words, always so patient with my inevitable mistakes), we'd played, I'd sat through her lessons with the Royal Tutors (okay, so maybe I did distract her a bit now and then... Being too serious like that wasn't good for her! Besides, I'd been too young to have lessons of my own, yet), and we'd played.

Did I mention that we'd played? Because we did.

And then...

Well, I don't know what had changed. That was kind of the problem. All of a sudden, one day Elsa moved out of our room into her own... and shut me out of her life. I saw her at most meals, though she took pains to sit as far away from me as possible. Even then, she wouldn't talk to me. _No one_ would tell me why my sister, the person I loved more than anyone else in the whole world, suddenly couldn't stand my presence, anymore.

She still talked to Mama and Papa. _They_ were allowed in her room. She still had her lessons (which I was no longer allowed to attend), she still interacted with Kai and Gerda and the other servants.

(Hadn't we had more, at one point? I could vaguely recall far more people bustling about... though that memory also said the gates should be open, and that was NOT allowed.)

 

* * *

 

_"Not now, Anna."_

I wasn't even surprised. Ever since Elsa had shut herself away - had shut me out - Mama and Papa had spend less and less time with me. Even when they were around, they always seemed so distracted and troubled...

Naturally, I took it upon myself to try and cheer them up. I made myself be extra super happy and playful, reasoning that no one _wanted_ to be in a bad mood, so they just needed a little help.

All I ever seemed to do was irritate them.

More and more, I'd noticed, anything that I needed that I couldn't do myself was being done by the palace staff. Gerda helped me with any clothing that required more than one person to put on, and supervised the small but growing number of meals that I was otherwise alone for. On the distressingly rare occasions when I was allowed outside at all (usually just in the garden), I was accompanied by Kai.

The rest of the time, I was left alone.

I stopped playing with dolls - what good are toys like that when you have no one to play with? - and took to conversing with paintings. I made up histories (for those that didn't already have them, like Joan), personalities, likes and dislikes...

When the normally friendly young girl in the pink dress whom I'd named Katherine said something bad about Elsa, I didn't talk to her again for an entire week.

I'd finally begun lessons of my own, which were _SO_ much less fun without someone to talk to, or make faces at behind the tutor's back. At least those earlier shared lessons meant I had, as the tutor put it, "a good foundation to build on".

Still, if this was what Mama and Papa wanted, I'd do it. In the back of my mind, I was convinced that if I was a good enough girl, and learned how to be a princess well enough, they'd want to spend time with me, again. Maybe even Elsa...?

 

* * *

 

_"Anna, please, I'm very busy right now..."_

It was getting harder, to force the smile to stay on my face. I had to, though. Happy, sunny, cheerful Anna was the only one who got any attention beyond what was required from the servants.

I couldn't be upset with Elsa. (I _couldn't_! I wouldn't _allow_ it!) She was, as Father pointed out so frequently, going to be Queen one day. It was a huge responsibility, and certainly not one I wanted (even if then people would _have to_ pay attention to me... No! No thinking like that!), so of course she had to devote her time to preparing for it.

(I still didn't see why she couldn't take a break now and then, non-stop work like that couldn't be healthy... I could even help her! The one time I suggested that, though, during one of the extremely rare times we all ate together, something that might have been panic flew through her eyes, and she asked to be excused before she'd even had dessert. Father had sternly told me I needed to focus more on my own lessons, and leave helping about Elsa to him. He is the King, so I guess it makes sense that he'd know best how to help her prepare, but still... No, no, be a good girl, Anna.)

I couldn't be upset with Mother and Father, either. Even with my ongoing lessons, I didn't understand everything they had to do, what responsibilities they had, but there must have been a lot of them, because they were _always_ busy. They never asked me about my day, what I'd been up to, how my lessons went... Trying to tell them anyway would just result in being told "Not now", "Perhaps later", or "Why don't you go find Gerda?"

(They were the ones who'd assigned me these lessons in the first place! Why wouldn't they- No, no. Good girl. You're a good girl, Anna. You have to be.)

I couldn't be upset with Kai or Gerda... Well, because I couldn't. They actually noticed me. Saw me. Cared about me. I did my best to stay out of trouble, because I couldn't bare the thought of either of them being disappointed in me.

(Did I disappoint Mother and Father? Was that why I almost never saw them, anymore? Had... Had I done something wrong? Something bad? Something that... That... Was that why Elsa...?)

The only good thing about the palace being so deserted was that it wasn't too hard to find a nice, secluded spot to let the mask drop, every now and then. Everyone was so used to the happy, energetic, loud Princess Anna that, if I was quiet, I could escape detection almost indefinitely. Only if I was quiet, though.

That was fine; I'd taught myself to cry silently years ago.

I tried not to need to do so often. Good girls were happy and bright and sunny, after all, and I _needed_ to be a good girl. That was what everyone wanted, after all. The only thing they'd ever seemed to want, from me. It was like what Father had said to me that one time.

Well, okay, he hadn't been talking to me. He never really talked to me. (Sometimes, in my weaker moments, I wondered if he even remembered that he actually had _two_ daughters.) I'd been eavesdropping (politely!), like I sometimes did when I wanted to pretend he was talking to me. It could have been Mother, one of the staff, maybe even (though somewhat unlikely) Elsa. I hadn't been able to stay long, since I'd heard Gerda coming, so I have no idea what he'd been referring to, or even how it had come up in conversation. It had just seemed to fit _me_ so perfectly, to have almost been _directed_ at me, that when I'd snuck away, I was happier than I'd been in ages.

"Conceal it, don't feel it," I whispered softly to myself. "Don't let it show."

And maybe...

Just maybe...

Maybe if I did it well enough...

Maybe they'd love me again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen_ and _Tangled_ are both owned by Disney. Believe me, if I actually owned any percentage of either, I'd have a LOT more free time to devote to writing. The lyrics included are from the song "Good Girl", by Melanie Chisholm.

 

**Summary:** First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.

 

* * *

 

I sat in Father's office, too stunned by what I'd just been told to say anything in response.

It should have been a euphoric moment. One of the maids had been sent to seek me out, carrying word that Father wanted to talk to me. To _me_! Specifically! I'd been so happy, I hadn't quite managed to keep myself from running through the halls on the way there. It wasn't very princess-like behavior, but I didn't care. In that moment, I wasn't the Princess of Arendelle, I was a girl going to see her father. Who could blame me for being excited?

I even managed not to damage anything, or trip more than twice - and even then, I recovered before hitting the ground, which I considered a major accomplishment.

I'd barely managed to contain myself when he asked me to sit down in the seat across the desk from him, just like one of the important foreign dignitaries he often received. (Or he had, anyway. Did he, still, even with the gates closed? Not being allowed near any such official business of state, I had no idea.) At the time, I'd felt proud, thrilled that he was treating me in the only way I'd ever seen him talk to those he believed _mattered._

Looking back, the fact that he approached the conversation like he would with a foreigner - a _stranger_ \- rather than a talk between family was telling. It had been so long since I'd spoken with him as a daughter, though, since I'd seen him in any kind of familial setting... Well, I couldn't remember what that even looked like.

Then he told me what he'd called me in to talk about, and I was so shocked that I was briefly struck dumb.

"You're... Y-You're sending me away?" I finally managed to ask, not even noticing how small my voice sounded. "What... Did I do something wrong?"

He grimaced uncomfortably, likely not wanting to have to deal with an overly emotional daughter. "Of course not. This will be a great opportunity for you. They have some of the best educators in the world there, and there will be a large number of girls your own age for you to make friends with."

As enticing as the prospect of making new friends might have otherwise been... "I'm learning a lot from my tutors!" I insisted loyally. "And I could make friends here if you'd just open the gates-"

"Anna..."

"-or let me see Els-"

"Anna!" I flinched at his sudden shout, and he quickly dropped his voice back to normal. Still, that moment would stick with me. "This isn't open for debate. You're going, end of story. This is for your own good, so I suggest you get used to the idea. You'll have two weeks to pack everything you want to bring with you."

"...two weeks...?" That was it? I only had two weeks before... before they got rid of me? "May I be excused?" I asked softly, eyes locked on his desk. Upon receiving permission, I got out of the chair and dully walked to the door. I couldn't bear to look back, in case his face revealed what a disappointment I was to him.

 

* * *

 

It was probably foolish - I _knew_ that it was probably foolish - but I needed to talk to someone, someone who might actually be able to do something. (As much as I talked to her about everything, I knew Joan wouldn't be much help in this situation.)

So, I instinctively headed for Elsa's room.

I rapped my knuckles against the wood a few times, as I'd recently begun to do in favor of my previous, more energetic knock. "Elsa?" I began tremulously.

There was no answer. There never was. Still, I knew she was in there - she always was, this time of day - so, as usual, I continued on, anyway. "Elsa, I... I need your help."

Nothing.

"They're sending me away," I said, voice breaking. I couldn't cry; I wouldn't allow it. Not until I was alone.

Silence. Was it shocked silence? Angry?

Relieved?

I didn't know, anymore. "I... What did I do wrong? Do you know? Father wouldn't tell me. Just... said it was for my own good."

"...it is."

I nearly fell backwards in surprise. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten a reply other than 'go away'. "But _why_?! If this school is so great, and I'll learn so much there, why didn't they ever send you, too? You're the important one."

"'The important one'...?" I could hear her suck in a breath, as if she'd been physically struck by my words, which made no sense. Father and Mother had made it very clear over the years that Elsa was the one who mattered, after all, even if they'd never actually come out and said it. I was just the spare. I knew that.

I didn't especially _like_ it, but I knew it.

"It's too dangerous for me to leave," Elsa told me, and I couldn't quite figure out the strange mix of emotions in her voice. Sadness? Disgust? Fear?

Fear of what? The Elsa I remembered wasn't afraid of anything.

"What does that mean?" I asked, fighting down a shiver. It always seemed to get so cold in front of her door, for some reason. I'd asked, but no one ever seemed to know why.

"It just... I just can't!" she burst out, sniffling.

Was she crying?

I instinctively reached out to try and open the door (despite knowing it was always locked), to try and get to her... only to yank my hand back from the doorknob with a hiss.

The metal was so cold it _burned._

"Go away, Anna," she said, voice almost steady. Almost. "You have to go away _now._ "

Blinking back my own tears, I snapped, before I could think better of it, "Wait two weeks, and you'll finally get your wish."

Anything she might have said or done in reply... Well, let's be honest. Even if I hadn't been hurrying down the hall to get to my own bedroom before my emotional control completely failed, she wouldn't have tried to comfort me.

She hadn't done that in years.

 

* * *

 

The next two weeks seemed to somehow blur past in the blink of an eye, and slow to a crawl as the date of my banishment approached with dreadful inevitability. I mostly felt numb, and all but sleepwalked through the final lessons with my tutors. I could barely work up any enthusiasm for meals, despite Gerda's good-natured nagging to eat something, anything.

What did it matter? What did _any_ of it matter?

I still did it, of course. I was a Princess, after all, and there were expectations of me. Despite everything, I hated the thought of disappointing anyone. And I would be representing all of Arendelle at this school, wouldn't I? It was my duty to show the Institut Kronenberg in Switzerland my best, and, if nothing else, I refused to let _Arendelle_ down.

When not studying or forcing myself to ignore my lack of appetite, I was packing. I couldn't take everything, obviously - I couldn't even take a lot - but Gerda had assured me that everything I left behind would be there waiting for me when I got back.

Toys were (obviously) not coming (not that I'd touched any in ages), I could only fit so many books in my trunk, and clothing had to be selected by how ladylike it would make me seem. (I allowed myself a select few items for more casual times, like while sleeping.)

The night before I was to leave, I couldn't sleep a wink. (It didn't help that the sky was also awake; I'd never been able to sleep when that happened. To this day, I have no idea why.) There was nothing left to do, after all, but think about what was coming. Nothing to distract myself with.

No one to see me drop my mask for a while.

_"I feel so bad,"_ I sang softly to myself. _"Never felt like this 'bout anything, I never have."_ So true. But what did it matter? I had to conceal my feelings, to be the happy, carefree girl everyone wanted me to be. _"No, please don't tell me that what's lost is lost, it's never gonna come back home."_

_"I walk in circles when there's no one around, try to find my own direction. I test the water but it burns my hand, as I disfigure my reflection. I've been a good girl, but you let me down..."_

Because they had, a voice in the back of my mind piped up. Everyone had. Yet here I was, about to leave behind everything I knew and loved, just to try and make them happy, to make them proud of me.

To make them love me.

'Do they really deserve that level of devotion?'

I had a lot of practice by now ignoring that voice.

_"I feel so bad... Never felt like this 'bout anything, I never have. No, please don't tell me that what's lost is lost, it's never gonna come back home._

_I lie in silence and I just can't sleep; how I long for your affection. My eyes are tired and my body is weak; I can't handle this rejection. And I think it's mean how you let me down."_

I tried to tell myself that they weren't rejecting me, really I did. This was for my own good, after all - Father had said so. I had to believe it. Because if I didn't...

No. It was. It had to be.

_"I feel so bad. Never felt like this 'bout anything, I never have. No, please don't tell me that what's meant to be is meant to be, it's no consolation."_

_"I'll carry on, proving everyone wrong. I will succeed..."_

I **would** make them proud. I **would** do my best, and then they'd **have** to acknowledge me the way I wanted them to:

As a loving sister, a dutiful daughter, and the Good Girl I tried **so hard** to be.

I just... wished I didn't have to do so alone, and so far from home.

_"I feel so bad. Never felt like this 'bout anything, I never have. No, please don't tell me that what's lost is lost, it's never gonna come back home._

_I feel so bad. Never felt like this 'bout anything, I never have. No, please don't tell me that what's meant to be is meant to be, it's no consolation..."_

I did manage to drift off to sleep eventually. If I dreamed, I don't remember them.

All considered, that's probably a good thing.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen_ and _Tangled_ are both owned by Disney. Believe me, if I actually owned any percentage of either, I'd have a LOT more free time to devote to writing. The lyrics included are from the song "First Day Of My Life" by Melanie C.

 

 **Summary:** First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.

 

* * *

 

My parents actually did come down to the docks to see me off.

I know. It surprised me, too.

Maybe it had finally sunk in that they wouldn't be seeing me again for months (I'd been assured that I would be coming home for the Winter break that encompassed Christmas and the start of the new year, as well as the shorter break in Spring for Easter), and it had sparked a long dormant parental instinct. Maybe the fact that they wouldn't have to deal with me for so long meant that they felt they could afford to be magnanimous with their affection.

Maybe they just wanted to ensure that I knew I had to be on my absolute best behavior while I was away, so as not to bring any shame to the kingdom.

I didn't know. Or, for that matter, overly care.

They were actually paying attention to _me_ for once.

So I put on the bravest face I could muster, smiling and laughing and assuring them that I would be fine, that this would be an adventure, and _of course_ I'd be good.

(It worried me, sometimes, how _easy_ it had become to put on that mask. In truth, it was getting hard to drop it, even when I was alone. But maybe that was okay. That was the Anna that everyone wanted, after all. If I faked it long enough, would it still be a mask?)

I hugged them, which was an unfamiliar enough experience that I lingered for a few moments longer than necessary. (Had Mother always been so thin?) When _was_ the last time I'd hugged them, anyway? Or anyone, for that matter?

...

...

...

...the fact that I couldn't even _remember_ the last time was worrying. Well, I'd remember _this_ time, at least.

They were sending a few guards with me, though only one would be allowed to stay at the school with me. (The school had its own guards, of course.) Given the limited space available, that did make sense, if personal guards were really required at all. Evidently, while the option was _available_ to all who attended, only royalty usually took them up on it. (Something about the cost, maybe. I don't know. It wasn't like anyone ever discussed finances or politics or anything like that with _me_.) Which meant that this would be one more thing that would set me apart from everyone else.

It also didn't escape me that this would mean there would always be someone on hand that answered to my parents, who might be reporting to them about my conduct. That didn't bother me too much, though - I'd already planned on being on my best behavior for the years I was there. It was what I'd been doing for the past decade.

I didn't cry. My emotions were in such turmoil that I consider that something of an accomplishment. Mother's eyes actually grew a bit misty once or twice, which made a pleasant feeling spread through my stomach (or was that gas?)... at least until my traitorous mind asked me if she might be suppressing tears of happiness at not having to deal with me anymore for a while. Given how skilled she and Father were at avoiding spending any real time with me even when I was there, though, that idea didn't really make much sense.

(First time their habit of ignoring me was actually reassuring.)

As for Father... Well, he was as calm and reassuring as he could probably manage to be while maintaining his Royal Aura (yes, it's capitalized; you'd understand if you saw it) and remaining aware of our surroundings and anyone who might have noticed the long-secluded royal family was out in public. Truthfully, I was impressed by his ability to multitask so effortlessly like that; I knew I still had a lot to learn in that respect. Did he recognize that I was trying, I wondered? That I was at least concealing my true feelings? Burying them so deeply that I _almost_ couldn't feel them anymore? I was trying so _hard_ to be like him - like _Elsa_ \- that I liked to think he'd be proud, if he did. Proud of how well I was following his advice, if nothing else.

_Conceal it. Don't feel it._

The first part of the trip would be by sea, which was a novel enough experience that it distracted me enough to be able to say my goodbyes without my smile dimming in the slightest. I'd never actually been on a ship before - one of the guards accompanying me (I wasn't sure which would be staying with me at school, or what any of their names were, yet) assured me that I would get used to the constant rocking motion of the deck, though it wasn't actually bothering me - and hopefully that novelty would be enough to last the several days that the voyage would take.

The castle wasn't too far from the docks, but it was far enough that picking out tiny details was still rather difficult, if not impossible. My eyes still roamed the windows as the crew readied the ship for departure, searching out Elsa's room. I hadn't exactly been surprised that she hadn't also come to see me off... which wasn't to say that it didn't hurt. But I buried that like I did everything else, and...

Wait.

There was someone on one of the balconies. One of the few things I could see was that her hair - and a figure that slender almost _had_ to be a she - had hair that was somewhere between blonde and being completely white.

Elsa.

She was out of her room, I noted in surprise.

_Of course she is. You're not there to hide from, anymore._

But... But she'd come to see me off, in her own way.

_You mean, she's making sure you actually leave? Of course she is. How many times does she have to yell at you and tell you to leave her alone until you realize that she hates you?_

H-Hates...? But... Elsa wouldn't...

_Wouldn't she? How would you know?_

My smile was frozen on my face, and my knuckles had gone white from gripping the deckrail so tightly. (I think that's what it was called, anyway... Haven't we already established that I was new to the whole 'being on a boat' thing?) Luckily, since I was so far away, she couldn't make out my expression any more than I could see hers. Admittedly, Mother and Father probably _could_ , if they were still there, but my gaze remained locked on my sister... and I could swear she was staring right back at me. It was a fair bit of work just to keep my breathing level, to not outwardly react. To not let anything show.

Because I didn't know. I didn't really know _anything_ about Elsa, anymore. I didn't know what she liked to read. I didn't know what her favorite foods were (except chocolate, of course; I felt completely confident _that_ would never change). Favorite colors, hobbies, clothing, hair styles... This distant glimpse was the first time I'd actually laid eyes on my sister in... Two months? Three? I didn't even know, anymore.

_I didn't know anything._

I take some pride in the fact that my exterior didn't reflect how much that knowledge was killing me inside.

Still, I wasn't _quite_ good enough at Concealing that I would be able to make the whole trip feeling the way I did. Fortunately, I'd managed to figure out one way to... well, vent some of my excess emotion, for lack of a better term.

I started to sing.

 

_"So I found a reason to stay alive_

_Try a little harder, see the other side_

_Talking to myself_

_Too many sleepless nights_

_Trying to find a meaning to this stupid life_

_I don't want your sympathy_

_Sometimes I don't know who to be_

_Hey, what you're looking for_

_No one has the answer_

_They just want more_

_Hey, who's gonna make it right?_

_This could be the first_

_Day of my life"_

 

* * *

 

And it could. I did my best to focus on that as the castle - as Arendelle - grew smaller and smaller. If I really was as unimportant - as _meaningless_ \- as my mind kept suggesting I was at home, maybe I could be someone new, someone better, while I was gone.

Because whatever it was that I'd done to damage my family so much, to cause them to pull away from me the way they did, no one at Institut Kronenberg would know about it. They wouldn't judge me for not living up to the standards Elsa set.

They'd just see me as Anna.

If I was careful, I might even be able to make it all three years I'd be there without them catching on.

Hopefully.

The first night on the ship, the first time I'd slept in a bed other than my own, surrounded by unfamiliar sights and sounds... Well, I'd never really understood - _truly_ understood - what the term "homesick" meant before then.

I tried my best not to cry. Not even silently. I couldn't let anyone see, let them _know_. I had to be a good girl, the brave princess on her way to an exciting adventure. I _had to._

If anyone noticed my eyes being at all red, the sea air made a convenient excuse.

Fortunately, the voyage to the German Confederation took only a few days, so I was able to hold on to novelty and distraction it offered the whole way. I did regret that we didn't have time to explore the town of Wilhelmshaven after docking, as I'd never been to another country before - heck, I'd never left Arendelle at all before! It was a little intimidating, being out in the great big world for the first time, but at the same time, I wanted to see everything, to meet everyone.

I was so enthralled by my surroundings, I forgot about my nerves, anxiety, and self-loathing, the excitement and enthusiasm I was so used to displaying coming as close to being genuine as they'd ever been.

For a while.

The next stage of the trip was by train, which was another new experience. This time, though, I was in good company in that respect. The steam locomotive was a new enough concept that much of Europe (and the rest of the world, for that matter) had never been on one.

Privately, I mused that it was a shame Arendelle was too small to need one, either for tourism or for trade - it was rather enjoyable. Faster than sea travel, and not at all dependent on the fickle wind.

One of the things I'd done before leaving home was seclude myself in the library with an atlas and several books on all the countries I'd be traveling through (Switzerland especially). I didn't really expect something I hadn't covered with my tutors to come up anywhere outside of the classroom (and being in a class larger than one would be a new, potentially scary and/or exciting experience), but on the off-chance it did, I didn't want to come off as some uneducated, uncultured, backwater, know-nothing royal.

That was why it occurred to me that, as the train we were currently on (there was no direct route to Switzerland, let alone Institut Kronenberg, which meant switching trains at several points during the journey... and no exploring, sadly) passed swiftly through the German Confederation, that we weren't all _that_ far away from Corona.

I sighed quietly as I looked out the window of the small, tastefully decorated compartment I'd been assigned to. (I didn't _have_ to stay in there, and certainly didn't for meals, but I'd noticed that my guards got a bit... twitchy... when I was surrounded by strangers, so I tried to accommodate them whenever I could.)

If there was anyone who had a more screwed up life than my family, it was Aunt Lillian and Uncle Alexander. First Aunt Lillian had fallen ill while with child, leading to a country-wide search for a legendary magical flower with incredible healing properties - and I do mean country-wide. And it wasn't just the guards looking, either. Everyone who was able to do so set out to scour the landscape to find it. (Father had always smiled fondly when he'd told me that part of the story, obviously touched by how devoted his sister's subjects were to their Queen. I couldn't blame him.) And find it they did. The flower worked even better than they'd hoped, saving both mother and child, and she'd given birth to a beautiful baby girl who swiftly began growing a headful of long, flowing blonde hair. (Which was a bit odd, given that both of her parents were brunettes, but otherwise I'm not sure why he'd mention that part.)

For a time - a very brief time - everything was perfect.

Then their daughter was stolen.

Don't ask me how someone managed to sneak _into_ the palace in the first place, let alone back out _with a crying baby_ , but they did. And no one could find them. Even now, fifteen years later, no one knew what had become of the lost princess.

Given how often it had (subtly) been impressed upon me over the years that I was the Spare to the Throne, I'd wondered why they didn't try having another child. Certainly the flower had fixed whatever had gone wrong the first time, hadn't it? Father would always smile sadly and shake his head. Evidently, it had only treated the symptoms, rather than the source of the problem, and they couldn't risk any other children. (How he knew that for sure, I had no idea, but even when I was young, I'd been sensitive enough to know when _not_ to ask questions like that.) As for who the next heir to the throne of Corona would be if the never found her...

The fact that Father never said anything at all about that was fairly telling.

I had no idea how I would have held up, in Aunt Lillian's place. To have your perfect life ripped away so suddenly, and so brutally... At least she and Uncle Alexander still had each other. I wondered, sometimes, what it would be like, to have someone to share things like that with. Someone to hold you when you needed it, and to hold when they did. A friend, a partner.

Someone to love.

 

_"So I found a reason_

_To let it go_

_Tell you that I'm smiling_

_But I still need to grow_

_Will I find salvation in the arms of love?_

_Will it stop me searching, will it be enough?_

_I don't want your sympathy_

_Sometimes I don't know who to be_

_Hey, what you're looking for_

_No one has the answer, but you just want more_

_Hey, who's gonna make it right?_

_This could be the first day of my life"_

 

* * *

 

Switzerland was... a little warmer than I'd expected.

It was _greener_ , too. Oh, sure, there were snow-covered mountains in the distance all in almost every direction, if you looked far enough, but I was used to that. (They weren't the _right_ mountains, but I pushed that reaction down as far as it could go.) It was all the trees, and the grass... and the flowers! Oh, God, all the flowers... The grounds of the train station alone were a riot of color, with _such_ an amazing smell...

It wasn't home. But it was beautiful, and I thought that maybe - just maybe - I could get used to it.

 

_"The first time to really feel alive_

_The first time to break the chain_

_The first time to walk away from pain_

_Hey, what you're looking for_

_No one has the answer, we just want more_

_Hey, who's gonna make it right_

_This could be the first day of your life_

_Hey, what you're looking for_

_No one has the answer, they just want more_

_Hey, who's gonna shine alight?_

_This could be the first day of my life"_

 

The final leg of the journey to Institut Kronenberg was by coach. (I managed to say hello to the horse while the guards were loading my luggage onto it.) Pleasant enough, if a bit cramped. It wasn't that there were a _lot_ of other people in the coach - only myself and the guards, as I was evidently the only student arriving right then - but the quarters were close enough that I had to be careful not to give away my rising anxiety as we drew closer and closer to the school.

Institut Kronenberg was tucked up against one of the mountains, surrounded by a low wall topped with a wrought iron fence - not enough to block the gorgeous view, but anyone trying to sneak in (or out, I supposed) would have to put some real effort into it. I could see a guard here and there, patrolling the grounds, and knew that, if this place was anything like Arendelle, for every guard you could see, there would be five or six that you couldn't. (Not until you'd been there long enough to learn their movements, anyway.) There was a considerably large lawn between the gates and the school itself, which puzzled me until I noticed my guards' approving expressions. Ah, another security feature, then. It made sense, I suppose, and this _was_ supposed to be one of the safest of such schools...

 _Speaking of which..._ I turned my attention to the school itself. It wasn't as unnecessarily large as Arendelle's castle, but then, it didn't need to be. The colors were a bit drab - somewhere between gray and tan for the building itself, with the roof a duskier reddish shade - and aside from the sloping roof, the architecture was kind of boring. Well, to me, anyway. I suppose someone else, like Elsa, might have appreciated it more.

_If she still likes that sort of thing, that is._

But that was only the outside, I told myself firmly, ignoring the doubts whispering at me. I'd probably be spending the majority of my time inside - just like I did at home, though at least now I had all new rooms and hallways to learn, and people inside them to talk to - so the exterior wasn't really all that important.

I needed a few moments to gather up my courage once the carriage pulled to a stop near the front door. I could do this. I could _totally_ do this. I could walk in there, refrain from tripping over my own feet, and impress whoever it was that ran this school. I could be sweet, and charming, and never let on how much I didn't really want to be here.

_Conceal it. Don't feel it._

"Time to put on a show," I murmured under my breath as I climbed out into the sunshine. (The weather really was beautiful here, which didn't seem entirely fair if I wasn't going to be allowed outside all that often."

The entry hall was... Well, it was large for a building this size, I suppose, but it was fairly cozy compared to the one back home. White tile flooring, with a curving stairway that lead upstairs on either side of the room. An intricate chandelier hung from the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft, amber glow. I wondered what it would look like without sunlight streaming in through the large windows behind me.

Not like I wouldn't have plenty of time to find out.

We were met a petite woman with short, curly brown hair that was gradually graying here and there. She was a bit taller than me - but really, who wasn't? - and impeccably dressed in a soft blue dress.

I smoothed out my own petticoat (green, of course) as best I could without being obvious about it, uselessly wishing I'd taken a few minutes to straighten up after the long ride. I'd just been so eager to _finally_ stretch my legs...

"Princess Anna," she said with a friendly smile, giving me a brief, small bow. (Really, she didn't even need to do that, given that I was quite some ways away from where I was at all important.) "Welcome to Institut Kronenberg. My name is Sara Karlen, the school's Headmistress."

Fortunately, I'd at least been told to expect as much, or I might have been thrown off by the fact that she'd said it in English.

Institut Kronenberg was, after all, an international school. Trying to learn the languages of every girl from all over the place wasn't exactly practical - it made much more sense to have one official language. They probably offered classes for those who weren't all that fluent, but luckily, English was one of the languages that my tutors had _insisted_ I learn, given how wide-spread it was - likely the same reason the school had chosen it. "Ma'am," I replied with a curtsy I was sure my protocol instructors would be proud of me for.

Her smile widened, and I knew I'd made the correct decision. I didn't want her to think I was some spoiled, bratty princess, like she'd no doubt seen before. At least I'd made one good first impression.

She launched into a welcoming spiel - we're glad to have you here, we're sure you'll do exceptionally, we hope you enjoy your time here - that, frankly, sounded so rehearsed, I was fairly certain it was the standard greeting for every new student. I almost interrupted to tell her that she didn't need to do that, as I was sure she had better things to be doing with her time, but fortunately, my manners kicked in at the last second, and I kept my mouth shut.

My schedule, along with the required books, would be waiting for me in my room. They had a fairly small number of students - it could vary, due to graduation rate versus new admissions, from anywhere between six to over thirty. I'd make an even dozen, which was still eleven more girls anywhere close to my age than I was used to having around. Despite that, there were only a few of the 'royal rooms' - there would be an attached room with a connecting door so that, if there were a problem, Daniel, the guard who was remaining (I'd made a point during the trip through France to Switzerland to learn who was whom), would be able to get to me with as little delay as possible - so it was fortunate that there was an opening, though, having already been there for two years previously, my new roommate obviously had already chosen her bed.

Wait, what?

Roommate?

I was torn between being excited at the prospect, and feeling a sense crushing depression - I wasn't going to have _anywhere_ that I could really drop my mask, then, not even in the privacy of my bedchambers. (There was an attached lavatory, at least, so I'd have a bit of privacy while bathing, if nothing else.) Since I'd have a lot of trouble explaining the latter, I made a point of expressing the former.

My roommate, I learned as we headed upstairs, was a girl my age named Claire Nadeau, a princess - so we'd have at least one thing in common - from the country of Vevay. (I'd never heard of it, but then, she'd likely never heard of Arendelle, so that was fair.) I wanted to know more - a lot more - but that was going to mean actually talking to Claire myself, and getting to know her... something I was horribly out of practice in. Just thinking about all the ways I could screw things up made my stomach twist in anxiety.

_Conceal it, don't feel it. Come on, Anna, keep it together._

"Here we are," Headmistress Karlen said as she stopped outside one of the doors on the second floor. (The third floor, I learned, was mainly staff housing, along with the guards quarters. The first floor was divided between classrooms and staff areas, such as the kitchen and washrooms.) The floors were polished hardwood, likely both because they were easier to clean than carpeting and because they absorbed less sound, thus making it easier to catch any students sneaking about after curfew (another new concept to me, but one I felt I could adapt to easily enough). My first thought, however, was that if I built up enough speed, they would be _SO_ fun to slide across.

I know, I know, you _wish_ you were as mature as me.

The headmistress knocked on the door a few times, waited a moment, then opened it. The room was larger than my own bedroom back home, due to the necessity of including study areas on either side - each consisted of a desk, complete with paper and fountain pens, and a bookshelf with several reference tomes already on it.

Seated at one of them was an absolute vision.

She'd turned to face the door when it had opened, giving me a good look at her features. She had brown (chestnut, I decided after a moment's deliberation) hair that was long and curly, chocolate brown (milk chocolate, definitely) eyes that were currently wide enough to remind me of a doe, and was wearing a beautiful lavender dress. She was somehow delicate-looking without really being all _that_ fragile. (I honestly had no idea how she pulled that off.) She was like the living embodiment of every image I'd ever had in my head of the 'fairy-tale princess'.

Right about then, I (finally) realized I was staring.

I'd at least made it far enough into the room that the guards could bring in my belongings, and Daniel could deposit his own bags in his (significantly smaller) room, so I wasn't being _painfully_ obvious about it.

Claire was staring right back at me.

Before I could begin worrying that I had something on my face, or that she was upset with me, she scrambled out of her seat, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

Good Lord, it was adorable.

I wanted to assure her that I didn't care about her lapse in manners - not very Princess-like of me, I know, but if we were going to be living together, we couldn't be prim and proper _all_ the time - but Headmistress Karlen was speaking. Had been for a while, I realized with some embarrassment of my own. "-lasses won't start until the beginning of next week, so you'll have a few days to settle in, first."

That was good to hear. I made myself smile and nod at the appropriate points, making it at least _look_ like I'd been paying attention.

I made a point of thanking Karl and Bjørn (the other two guards) for their service before they left to begin the lengthy trip back to Arendelle. Their matching looks of mild surprise said they weren't quite used to being thanked just for doing their job, especially by one of the royals, but that they certainly didn't mind. After they were gone, Daniel went off with Headmistress Karlen to get better acquainted with the school, giving me strict instructions not to leave the room until he got back.

Then I was alone.

With Claire.

True to form, I blurted out the first thing to enter my mind. "I love your hair!"

She blinked in surprise. "I... I'm sorry?"

"Your hair. It's just so..." I waved vaguely at her head. "I wish mine could do that. That's one of the reasons I never wear it loose."

"Oh. Um, thank you." She took a breath, and seemed to find her conversational footing. "I assure you, though, it can be... difficult, at times, to maintain."

I tried hard not to stare. Really I did. "Oh, my God, please keep talking."

I'd caught her off-guard again. "...what?"

"You have the loveliest accent I've ever heard in my entire _life_." How was it even legal for someone to be that cute?

"...thank you." I was probably weirding her out, but... Well, we had a while to adjust to each other's behaviors, right? Better she learn about my tendency to ramble and/or blurt out inappropriate things now, when it was just the two of us.

"Yeah, I know, I'm... odd, sometimes," I said with a casual wave as I moved over to my side of the room to begin unpacking. "You'll get used to it, promise. And really, I'm looking forward to this - I haven't had a roommate of any kind in _years._ So, um, I apologize in advance if I snore, or anything. I don't think I do, but, you know, just in case. Are you French? I mean, you kind of sound it - I really do love your voice, by the way - but I don't really think France is a monarchy, anymore. Or at least not much of one. Though, I guess you don't have to be. I mean, look at the British Empire. Not that I think poorly of the British. I don't, believe me. It's just that-"

"Anna."

I broke off my ramble - and really, that was a bit beyond anything I might have thought would make a good demonstration, so it was just as well - and looked up from the trunk I was unpacking.

Claire's pleasant expression was starting to look just the slightest bit strained. "Vevay is on the border of France. Also, I don't wish to be rude, but I was in the middle of writing some correspondence when you arrived, which I really should get back to."

I was staring at her with what I'm sure must have been a goofy expression, but luckily I threw it off in short order. "Oh, of course! Please, don't let me stop you. I do apologize for interrupting, by the way."

She shook her head. "Apology accepted, but unnecessary. You could hardly have known, after all." With that, she retreated to her desk, and I resumed unpacking. As I began hanging things up in my closet, I heard her mutter something softly to herself. French wasn't my best language, but I understood enough to get the basic idea of what she said.

"This is going to be a long three years..."

 

* * *

 

 **Author's note:** As some of you may have picked up, there are a few things in this story that I'm tweaking to make things flow better - making Rapunzel and Anna the same age, for one. Also, as I believe the events of Frozen are set somewhere in the 1830s-1840s (1830s, in this particular story), trains weren't widely in use until much later. The extent of indoor plumbing is also a bit hard to pin down. Given that this is an AU, I don't think these changes will be all that big of a deal.

R&R - reviews are the muse's fuel! ^_^


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen_ and _Tangled_ are both owned by Disney. Believe me, if I actually owned any percentage of either, I'd have a LOT more free time to devote to writing.

 **Summary:** First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.

 

* * *

 

It took less time than I would have thought to put away my clothes, stuff my now empty luggage in the back of my closet, and arrange my books on the bookshelf above my desk to my satisfaction. (Having a desk in my bedroom was something of a new experience, but didn't require much work to adjust to.)

After that...

I stood in front of my desk, feeling horribly awkward and uncomfortable as I struggled to figure out what to do next. None of the books really appealed to me just then. I'd already examined my schedule, but until I got a thorough tour of the school myself, none of the names or locations listed really meant anything to me. Claire...

Well, that was really the problem. I didn't feel comfortable just sitting around and ignoring her, but the slight tension evident in her body as she focused on whatever letter she was writing indicated she wouldn't have been too open to conversation just then... And, truth be told, I was so out of practice at actually talking to another girl my age that just thinking about it made me nervous.

It was depressing, really, that just the idea of doing something almost every other girl on the planet considered normal scared me like that. I was going to have to deal with that fear soon, or the next three years were going to be hellish beyond even my ability to conceal.

I snuck another quick glance at Claire, then finally stumbled across the obvious: she was busy writing letters; maybe I should do the same.

Not that I had a lot of people to write to... or a lot to tell them.

Forcing my mood (at least externally) to one of determined cheer, I sat down in the not overly comfortable (but not painful) chair, selected a piece of paper from the pile prepared seemingly just for such purposes, picked up a pen, and began to write.

My parents first. The guards would beat a letter back, so they'd already know I arrived safely. Still, I scrawled down a quick recap of my journey - being unable to do any exploring meant I didn't really have too many details to share - and a brief description of the school and Claire.

It wasn't a long letter.

The one I wrote to Elsa was pretty much identical. I tried to describe the buildings I'd seen as best I could, just in case she did still care about that sort of thing. Still, I was signing my name to the bottom almost before I knew it.

Starting to feel a little desperate - I don't think it had even been quite ten minutes since I started writing - I decided, after wracking my brain for a few moments, that I would write to my aunt and uncle as well. I hadn't done so in... Actually, had I _ever_ written them? If so, I couldn't remember, and felt a surge of shame. (Not that I'd exactly been encouraged to do so. Or to write letters to anyone. Ever. Maybe something to do with whatever had caused the closed gates? I had no idea, and no one to ask.) Well, then, I'd just have to make up for that now.

If nothing else, the lack of previous correspondence meant I had a lot to tell them.

I started off with an apology for not writing them before - my court manners might not have been the best, but even I knew enough to do that. I couldn't share too many details about my life in Arendelle, though that was more because my life had been so stiflingly boring that I didn't have them TO share than anything. (I decided to keep my habit of conversing with paintings to myself, at least for the time being.) Still, the novelty of having someone to talk to about things - _family_ to talk to - meant that soon enough page after page was filled up. I was on the fourth page before I even got to the decision to send me off to school, making sure to note how much closer (geographically, at least) I was to them now than I had been.

I couldn't even guess how long it would have been had I told them _everything_.

After signing at the bottom of the fifth page, I began the process of carefully folding the papers so they'd fit into the envelope. (The school must not have had many overly talkative students; the envelopes provided were better suited for one to two sheets of paper. Ah, well, I'd just have to manage.) Now the question became how to get the letters to where they needed to go. At home, I likely would have just turned them over to Kai and instructed him to take care of things. Here...

I sighed quietly, putting down my pen and turning to face Claire... and froze. She'd evidently finished her own correspondence while I'd been busy, and was turned to face me, staring at me with an intensity that set my insides to quivering in a surprisingly pleasant fashion. For a long moment, I just stared back, frozen in place. _She has such beautiful eyes,_ I thought randomly. Finally, she blinked, breaking whatever spell that had been.

Well, I'd been staring at her before, hadn't I? Fair was fair. Maybe she wasn't used to having a roommate, either. I waited a few moments for my heartbeat to slow to something approaching its usual rhythm - though for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what might have caused it to speed up like that in the first place - then asked, "Um... yes?"

Claire's cheeks were flushed, and she gave her head a good shake. "I apologize," she said in a surprisingly steady tone. "I did not wish to interrupt."

Which was really only a partial explanation, if that, but I got the sense that was all she was willing to give, just then. Still more than I was used to at home, though, which was nice. "You didn't," I assured her.

"Good." She paused. "As any regular messengers the school might employ are meant for official purposes only, students are therefore required to make their own arrangements, should they wish to send letters home."

I felt like slapping a hand across my face. _Of course._ I really should have thought of that before I started writing. Sure, I didn't really have any idea how postage was sent, but that was no excuse. Or it shouldn't have been one, anyway. "I guess that makes sense," I said. "They do let us, though, right?" I could have been completely wrong about what she'd been writing, after all.

She nodded. "Rest assured, the staff will not suppress communications with your family, nor make certain that they only hear what the school _wants_ them to. I've checked."

I started. It hadn't even occurred to me that the staff of Institut Kronenberg might do something like that. Granted, I'd only met one of them, but still... "I'm glad to hear that." After a pause, I couldn't help adding, "I wasn't aware that was even a possible concern."

"You should always be aware of any possible threats," she told me seriously. "They're rarely considerate enough to announce themselves."

True enough, I supposed... though the way she said it seemed a little more paranoid than I was used to. But maybe that was normal for those who weren't imprisoned within the sheltering walls of a palace. "They are rude like that," I agreed, just to try and stay in the spirit of things.

She smiled at me. Just a little, but it still made me feel warm all over. "Indeed. If you wish, I can see to it that your letters are dispatched to their destinations immediately."

I debated echoing her warnings that I needed to be wary of who got their hands on my mail... but no. Something told me such a joke would not go over too well, and I didn't want to take any needless risks when I was actually starting to make progress getting to know her. "Thank you, I would appreciate that," I told her with a wide smile, rising from my chair. She met me in the middle of the room, her own letters (I presume that was what she meant by correspondence, anyway) in one hand as she took mine, gave each one a quick looking over, then smoothly changed direction, heading for the smaller door on her side of the room. Given that it was identical to the door to Daniel's quarters, I guessed it lead to where her bodyguard was staying.

It was kind of nice knowing that at least I wouldn't be the _only_ student with their own personal guard. Who knew? Maybe Claire felt the same. I'd have to ask, once I knew her a little better.

She rapped her knuckles on the wood, waited a few moments, then held a hushed conversation with the man who answered. He wasn't bad looking, I supposed. About six feet tall, sandy brown hair trimmed short, well-built without being overly muscular. He was also much more plainly dressed than I would have expected a royal guard to be, wearing tan slacks and a drab looking brown shirt. (Men's fashion wasn't exactly something I knew much about, but his outfit did not thrill me.) To try and draw less attention? Maybe. Daniel might well have packed less obvious attire for day-to-day wear, only having his uniform for travel to and from the school, and possibly any special occasions. This was all so new to me, I hadn't even thought to ask.

I made a mental note to try and anticipate any such issues in the future, so I'd at least _look_ like I knew what I was doing.

I haven't been doing a very good job at describing things, have I? Sorry. That's not exactly my strongest suit, either, but I know that's no excuse. A princess is supposed to be observant, after all.

Elsa probably could have given you paragraphs of description about every single thing she saw.

No, stop it, Anna. Stop trying to compare yourself. Just do better.

One thing I did not mention in describing the room was the large fireplace centered in the middle of the wall opposite from the door to the hall. It wasn't lit, and didn't look like it had been in a while. (I did, at least, know that the school had switched over to a central heating system five or six years ago, likely installed over the summer, so that they wouldn't have had to close down.) I was mildly disappointed that I wouldn't have the autonomy to be able to heat my own room - being trusted to do something even that simple might have made for a refreshing change of pace - but I could understand their reasoning. Besides, less to worry about this way, right?

I'm not sure what else to say about the rest of the decor. It was fairly no-frills, built for function instead of form. The walls were wood paneling, the ceiling cream colored, and the plush carpet was a deep burgundy. The furniture was nice enough, but obviously mass-produced, with little (if any) artistic touches. The beds were placed against the walls, not too far from the doors to our respective guard's quarters. The door to the lavatory was on 'my side' of the room, while another door (which Claire later explained lead to the room where they had once stored the wood for the fireplace) was on the other side, firmly locked.

Anyway, once Claire was done giving her guard instructions regarding mail delivery (names and 'Royal Palace' not being quite sufficient, I suppose), she turned back and walked closer to me. (I hadn't moved from where I'd been, busy taking a closer look at my new home away from home.) Given her earlier comments, I wasn't too surprised that she stopped just shy of lunging distance, but not far enough to be considered terribly rude. I guess she had plenty of practice. "You know the royal family of Corona?" she asked politely.

That seemed as good a beginning topic as any to me. "My aunt and uncle," I explained, not even having to work too hard to summon up a smile.

"I see." Her expression was pleasant enough, but something made me think she might well have been seeing a lot more than I wanted her to. "We were quite saddened to learn of their daughter's abduction, though I understand they haven't officially given up hope of her eventual return."

I blinked. "You know them?" Something else struck me. "'Officially'?"

She offered a fluid, elegant shrug. (Actually, every move she made was smooth and liquid. I tentatively decided she was probably a pretty good dancer.) "Vevay maintains steady diplomatic relations with Corona," she replied. "Though trade has deteriorated a bit over the years. And it has been fifteen years, with no sign of the girl or her kidnapper. Even the most hopeful person's optimism would begin to diminish after so much time."

Thinking of my own growing resignation regarding my relationship with Elsa, I couldn't argue with that. "Have you ever been there?" I asked instead, walking back to my bed and sitting near the pillow, then patted the bedcover next to me in an obvious invitation.

To my lack of surprise, while Claire did join me, she sat at the foot of the bed, swiveled to face me. "Once or twice. It is quite lovely, if a bit... lax, in security."

I worked to stifle a wince. "I imagine they know that by now."

"One would think they would have." There was just a trace of disapproval in her voice. "However, that is not the case. Should you ever go there, you would need only inquire about the crime rate in the kingdom - and one individual named Flynn Rider in particular - to see what I mean."

Unless I made a stop on the trip to or from school, that seemed unlikely. "Who's 'we', anyway?" I asked randomly.

A flicker of confusion. She must have been pretty good at concealing things herself; maybe it was a royal thing, and I just didn't have enough frames of reference to know it. "What?"

"Before, when you were talking about my cousin. You said 'we'," I explained. "Your family, I presume, but who is that?" _Who are_ _ **you**_ _, Claire Nadeau?_ I silently added.

I think she got it. "A fair enough question, I suppose," she allowed slowly. "My immediate family consists of my parents, King Joseph and Queen Rosalie, as well as my brother, Martin, and my sister, Noelle. I'm the youngest of us."

I guessed - correctly, as it turned out - that she'd been going in order, regarding her siblings, with Martin being firstborn, and Noelle the middle child. "What's having a brother like?" I inquired, honestly curious. I had dim memories of having a sister to play with, but brothers? Totally foreign concept.

She considered that. "He's six years older than I am, so we weren't that close growing up, but he can be... protective, at times. I'm given to understand that's normal for older siblings."

It was? Well, given that one of the few things my tutors and I had agreed on completely was that Elsa was as close to perfect as humanly possible, that just confirmed that something must have been very wrong with me. Luckily, I was very good at concealing my feelings about that, by this point. "I have a sister," I offered. It felt only fair to tell her about myself in return. "Elsa. We're... not really all that close." Why did that hurt so much to admit, even after so long? "Not anymore. I mean, we used to be, but then one day, she just... shut me out. Me and most everyone else, it seems like. She's _always_ in her room. Whenever I try to talk to her, she either tells me to go away or ignores me completely. _No one_ will explain why, or what I might have done wrong, or... or **anything**! I've asked! I know I'm only the Spare, but..." With effort, I managed to stop talking. That was far more than she'd needed to know, and my tutors would have been appalled at how much I'd just revealed, and to someone I'd just met, no less. But if we were going to be roommates for the next three years, we'd have to learn more about each other, and be as close friends as we could be, right?

I hoped so. I really, truly did. She might well be my only real chance at forging that kind of close connection with for a long time. Possibly ever, if the past decade was any indication.

No matter how risky it was, I _needed_ to be able to trust her. While I still remembered how 'trust' worked.

Claire was frowning. "Your sister is the heir?" she clarified. She didn't touch on my comment regarding my own status, but then, as the youngest of three, she probably understood what that felt like even better than I did.

"Yes." I wasn't going to start venting like that again, I told myself firmly. It was too dangerous; I might not be able to stop in time, again. "So I know she has even more to learn from her tutors than I did, and was probably off meeting people and sitting in on meetings that Father had when I just _thought_ that she was in her room. I overexaggerate things, sometimes, I know that. You should just ignore it when I do that, really."

She shook her head. "I know from Martin that training to one day ascend the throne is time consuming and stressful, but that only makes time to - decompress, I think is the word? - all the more important. My family may not be all that close, but we still talk to each other. Willfully keeping you ignorant regarding your sister strikes me as being... foolish. Particularly if, should she not have children by the time she becomes Queen, _you_ will be the Heir." Her expression was one of mild consternation.

For my part, I was gaping at her incredulously, and fighting down the impulse to launch myself at her in a massive hug. Finally, after all these years, _here_ was what I'd sought: confirmation that I _wasn't_ imagining things, that something really _was_ off in the way the palace staff and my family treated me. I still wasn't sure I didn't deserve it, for whatever reason, but to know that it really _was_ happening... " _ **Thank you,**_ " I told her, voice not quite shaking with emotion.

My reaction seemed to surprise her a little, but she didn't inquire farther, merely inclining her head briefly in a gesture of silent acknowledgement. "Getting back on topic, I told you before that Vevay is on the border of France. To be more accurate, it is located between France and the Netherlands, while doing everything possible to maintain neutrality."

My eyes widened. "Um... Yikes." I might not have mastered international politics, but I knew enough to know how daunting a prospect that was.

She allowed a rueful smile. "Indeed. As such, even when abroad, I need to be _very_ careful not to cause any scandals, or do _anything_ that could even possibly weaken Vevay's reputation or position. Which may be somewhat less of a risk here at school, but I'm not the only one to write home, and rumors spread very easily."

"Well, I'll be careful not to pass anything even potentially damaging on to my family," I assured her. Not that I knew exactly what that might consist of, to her. At least I was starting to understand her paranoia regarding the school's administration and security, now.

"Thank you."

We discussed less serious matters for a while after that. Classes - and how they differed from sessions with royal tutors (which seemed to operate about the same in Vevay as they did in Arendelle) - and our fellow students. I wasn't the farthest from home, as it turned out - that title would go to either an American girl named Kathryn Brown, or the formerly newest student, Noriko Yamaguchi, from Japan. (Claire couldn't say for sure, as she didn't know _exactly_ where each lived, in their respective home countries.) Her insight regarding both students and staff focused mainly on how to avoid being rude without actually encouraging further interaction. Evidently, if I wanted to make any friends (any _other_ friends, anyway), I was going to be on my own.

Well, knowing how to avoid offending them would certainly help with that, at least.

She seemed bemused to discover that Joan of Arc was one of my role models, for some reason. (Aside from the obvious one, I mean. I was quickly learning that, with Claire, the obvious answer was rarely the only one, or even the main one.) I didn't mention my habit of conversing with Joan's portrait, so at least I managed to avoid seeming _too_ strange. I, however, was distressed to learn that she hadn't been kidding before about her family being distant. The idea of actually being able to be close to your family, but _choosing_ not to be... I couldn't even comprehend it.

Well, I had three years, right? Maybe I could get her to come around.

Maybe.

 

* * *

 

 **Author's Note:** Originally, I'd planned on actually introducing Anna's schoolmates and teachers (or some of them, anyway) in this chapter, but that seemed like a good place to end on for now. But! They will appear next time, don't worry. And who knows? Maybe things will actually start happening. *lol*


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _Frozen_ and _Tangled_ are both owned by Disney. Believe me, if I actually owned any percentage of either, I'd have a LOT more free time to devote to writing.

**Summary:** First Elsa shut her out, then her parents sent her away to boarding school. Finally, Anna can take no more, and moves in with her aunt and uncle in Corona. Set before and during the events of Tangled.

**Author's Note:** I know, I've let this story lie dormant for far, far too long. I don't have any excuses, beyond the muse being captured by other fandoms. Right now, I'm just hoping the stress regarding my current job situation (don't ask) won't cause me any problems. Anyway, back to it...

 

* * *

 

 

My tour of the school proved to be interesting, for a number of reasons.

Several of those were related to Claire. One, at least, served to give _her_ insight into _me_. When she'd proposed showing me 'around the property', as she called it, I happily replied that I'd love to, once Daniel had returned.

"I assure you that you'll be safe with me," she said, watching me carefully for... well, something, I imagine.

"Oh, I know." Really, how dangerous could a school be? Especially when not everyone had returned from the summer break, yet. "But Daniel requested I not go anywhere until he returned, and given that he has come all this way just for my sake, that seems like the least I can do."

She seemed fascinated by my answer, for some reason. "Ah. Then you are not one of those who believe that servants should be seen and not heard, or that guards should do as they are told, and nothing more?"

"No!" Had I somehow given her that impression? "I mean, I suppose the guards should _technically_ do as they're told, since they work for us and all, but given that their job is to keep us safe, it would be foolish not to listen when they give perfectly reasonable instructions. I've seen no signs that Daniel is bad at his job, intends to abuse his authority, or is being overly paranoid." Not that I knew whether or not Claire even believed there was such a thing.

She studied me for a moment longer, then allowed herself a small smile. "Good. It is always refreshing to meet one of the nobility that isn't convinced they know everything _about_ everything."

Ah. Little wonder she'd felt the need to double-check, then. "Met a lot of the other kind over the years, I take it?"

My only answer was a heartfelt groan as she flopped backward onto my bed, eyes squeezed tightly closed.

I didn't quite manage to stifle a giggle. I loved that I was able to break through her shell enough to get at the actual person within, at least some of the time. I'd only just met her, but I could already tell she didn't let her walls drop often.

Not that I had any room to judge, there.

When Daniel eventually returned, Claire informed him she would be escorting me around the grounds. His own tour had evidently proven to him that I would be in no danger, as he agreed readily enough, only putting up a token resistance when she made it clear his presence was not required. Claire was never anything but polite and pleasant, yet she somehow gave the impression of being completely immovable, conversationally speaking, at least. Possibly beyond that, if need be.

As we left our shared quarters behind, I remarked, "You have _got_ to teach me how to do that."

Not breaking stride, she shifted her head just enough to give me a sideways glance, one corner of her mouth tugging upward. "Oh, Anna, there are _many_ things I can teach you," she promised.

I honestly could not understand why those words, said in that tone, sent such a lovely shiver up my spine.

If my reasons for delaying the tour had told Claire a lot about me, the way she approached it told me just as much about her. When we passed by the doors to the other girls' rooms, she would give some biographical information on each of them, but resisted any attempts to actually stop and try to talk to them. (As I suspected, I'd be on my own, there.) We briefly went up to the third floor, mainly because not doing so 'would leave an unacceptable gap in my understanding of the school's layout', though she made it clear that there was no other reason for a student to be on that floor. (Doing so, I presumed, would fall under the "scandalous" category that she was determined to avoid at all costs.) The only other thing she had to say before we went back downstairs was that, lacking an armory, the guards tended to store their weapons and munitions in their rooms. Our first stop when we reached the first floor was the dining area - or the student dining area, I suppose I should say; there was a smaller, staff dining room that we took a quick look at. Meals were at set times each day, which, unlike some other students, I was accustomed to from back home, so I would have no problem there. Meals _could_ be delivered to one's room if necessary - Claire briefly mentioned a guard who had broken his leg the year prior, and as such hadn't been going anywhere he hadn't needed to - but the students preferred eating together. Even Claire.

I was pretty sure she'd have rather dined alone, but that would have been a bit too rude to be overlooked. For my part, it had been a long time since I'd been around so many people all at once, and never at meals, as far back as I could remember, so I was happy that I'd have someone to talk to while getting to know everyone else.

The most telling thing she did there was pointing out every possible entrance and exit (including windows), and directing me toward her usual choice of seat at the single, lengthy table, where she could observe as many as possible at once, while being able to keep an eye on the serving staff. Close behind that, we stopped briefly in the kitchen to greet the staff. Evidently, while content to remain aloof with her fellow students, Claire had no problem getting to know the chef and his assistants... if only to get a feel for whether or not they were likely to slip poison into her food, and, if they weren't, make sure that they kept a close enough eye on their supplies and dishes that no one else could, either.

"Vevay must be a really _fun_ place to live," I remarked uncertainly as we left.

That earned me a rueful smile. "Indeed. While our neutrality can often make us an ideal place for negotiations between the Netherlands and whatever faction is ruling France at the moment - I believe it is a constitutional monarchy this month, at least - both sides would naturally prefer to have any and every advantage possible, and efforts to quietly get us over to their side - willingly or not - are quite common. While it is unlikely that either would seek to assassinate me here, that is no excuse for lowering my guard."

"They'd better not even _try_ ," I muttered quietly. I think she may have smiled at that, but it was gone by the time I got a good look at her face.

There turned out to only be one classroom, with three rows of four desks facing a much larger desk where the teacher would sit. Most of our lessons would be held here, though there would be time between them for students who didn't feel like lugging all of their books around with them to dash up to their rooms and exchange them. Claire's desk (naturally) was in the corner, as far from both the door and windows as possible. (The decoration of the classroom was even more sparse than the rest of the school, presumably to provide as few distractions as possible. I wondered if the curtains would even be open, if not to allow in light.) Luckily, the desk closest to her was open, so I'd have a place to sit. (Did she discourage people from sitting near her, or did they just not _want_ to? I honestly couldn't see why they wouldn't, but maybe she was different around groups of people. I could kind of understand that.) The rest of our lessons would take place in a combination music room/ballroom. I did know how to play an instrument or two already, so I could just either continue working on those, or try something new. It turned out we _would_ be allowed down there to practice during non-class hours, if we wanted to. The wood and stone used in the construction of that room was evidently much thicker than usual, to reduce the amount of sound that would reach the rest of the school. (Given how cold it could get in the winter, the construction of the rest of the school was hardly skimpy, so that was really saying something.) The dance floor was semi-sprung - not quite bouncy enough to be considered fully sprung - and while I did know most of the popular dances in Arendelle, I was looking forward to sampling what the rest of Europe (and beyond, I hoped) had to offer.

Claire didn't have too much to say about that room. The school would provide instruments if students hadn't brought their own - which I hadn't, but since the piano was my preferred instrument, that would have been hard - which were kept in good shape. (The moment I mentioned that I played the piano, she crossed the room to give it a good looking over, though I'm not quite sure what she was looking _for_ , exactly. Traps of some kind?) However, while the music room was generally left unlocked, the classroom, at least during breaks, was _not_ \- Claire had used her own key to get us in there, something I'm pretty sure she wasn't supposed to have. Still, if she was allowed to give tours, maybe the staff trusted her enough to give her one. I didn't want to risk getting her in trouble by making a big deal of it, so I kept quiet.

The washroom was fairly uninteresting, honestly, and given that the staff would take care of such matters for us on a weekly basis, that was probably just as well. (Do I need to describe it? I mean, do you _really_ care how they washed our laundry?) To my utter lack of surprise, Claire knew the woman responsible for that, too.

"How long have you been at this school?" I asked as we headed back toward our room. (Or rooms. Or suite. Or whatever you want to call it.)

"This will be my third year here," she replied evenly.

Which was more than enough time to get to know the staff, I supposed. She probably found them easier to talk to, given they were _required_ to maintain a certain personal distance between themselves and students. (I wasn't sure why I was considered acceptable - if princesses were always friendly and open with each other, Elsa and I would have a much better relationship - but I wasn't objecting.) "How do you like it?"

She considered that. "The staff is mostly knowledgeable in their fields of expertise, and security is adequate."

Mostly? No, no, that could wait. "Yes, but... Do you _like it_ here?"

She paused at our door, frowning in thought. I hadn't thought it was that difficult of a question, and had to fight down a rising anxiety that I was screwing things up already... which wasn't easy. For some reason, the idea that Claire might be upset with me was simply unbearable. Finally, she replied, "Most of my time here has been spent fulfilling obligations, and representing my family and country as best as I am able. As focused on that as I have been, I cannot say that I have or have not _liked_ my time here. Though..." She looked at me, smiling shyly as her cheeks turned ever-so-faintly rosy. "...things have recently improved immensely." Perhaps embarrassed by her statement, she opened the door and hurried inside.

It took me a minute to follow her, as I'm pretty sure only keeping my posture rigidly locked kept me from melting into a happy little puddle of goo.

What? It was probably the single nicest thing anyone had said to me in years, if not ever.

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the weekend passed without incident.

Conversation with Claire stayed on mostly light topics. Given what she'd told me about her home life, I could hardly blame her for taking her time in deciding she could trust me, and even I knew a princess didn't go blabbing about her kingdom's internal politics to an outsider, no matter how much you liked her. I spent a few anxious minutes reviewing what I'd said to her about Arendelle's closed-door policy for the castle, but she'd been more confused - and borderline horrified - by the idea of _anyone_ being able to just walk right into the seat of government and talk to the monarch than anything, so I imagined that was considered normal for anywhere else. (It was not being able to leave and head into the city if I felt like it that was somewhat unusual, but not unprecedented, depending on the ruler's degree of paranoia. I'd expected approval from Claire at that, but she seemed more ambivalent than anything.) Luckily - I guess - I didn't actually _know_ much of anything else about our politics, so I couldn't give anything away even if I'd wanted to.

Talking about the internal workings of Vevay, or about her family, just seemed to make her uncomfortable, and she dodged such questions whenever possible. I eventually managed to take a hint, and stopped asking. The strangest thing about that, though, was that it didn't bother me.

Had this been a member of my own family, or possibly even just a stranger on a train, the idea that I'd been making them uncomfortable, that I'd been prying into things they didn't want to discuss... Well, that would have had that little voice in the back of my mind working overtime, making sure I knew _exactly_ how horrible I was for even asking. With Claire, though? Nothing. No matter what track our conversations took, whatever verbal blunders I might have made, it was silent.

That _**never**_ happened.

Anything - _anything_ \- back home had at least had the potential to make it pipe up, pointing out how badly I was screwing something up, how much of a failure I was... even that my own sister might hate me, and I might well deserve it. Having it be so silent, and remain thus, well... It left me at something of a loss, believe it or not. I'd become so accustomed to it being there, even as I privately begged it to be quiet and leave me alone, that I didn't know how to deal with it actually _doing so_.

It was only quiet when I was talking with Claire, though, so I quickly took to seeking her out in conversation whenever I needed a reprieve.

(I suppose I should clarify something. Despite how I've been making it seem, I didn't have an actual, _literal_ voice in my head. It was my own mind telling me these things, sometimes not even in actual words, just feelings. I'm just translating them for you as best I can; I'm not schizophrenic. I talked to paintings when I was growing up, yes, but... Look, let's just move on, okay?)

We didn't have quite the same tastes in books. I'd read just about every book in the royal library at one point or another, depending on how desperate I was for _something_ to relieve the boredom, but tended to prefer romance or fantasy novels. (Whether or not she thought them silly, she would concede, given how utterly isolated and sheltered I'd been growing up, that I'd needed an outlet, as well as something to stimulate my imagination - and that I'd been somewhat limited in my selection of books - so she'd only nodded once in understanding, then moved on.) She seemed to prefer the works of Shakespeare and Voltaire, though, when pressed, she reluctantly admitted to enjoying Frankenstein (I'd never heard of it, but her brief description sounded bizarre and outlandish enough that I kind of wanted to read it, now)... and, even more reluctantly, that she'd actually enjoyed the "penny serials" that she'd discovered on a recent trip to England. (No, she didn't give me any other details about that trip, even exactly when it had been, or why she'd gone. I decided it likely fell under the category of "matters of state", and let it go.) Given that I was unlikely to come across any of those, she instead recommended Waverly, by Sir Walter Scott. I decided I would look for a copy at the first possible opportunity - sadly, she hadn't brought one, herself.

If nothing else, a couple days with little to do beyond make conversation did help me get used to Claire talking; if I'd kept being so entranced by her voice and accent that I did little beyond stare and give her goofy looks, I'm sure she would have taken to avoiding me whenever possible, if not requesting a new roommate. It wasn't like she was the first French (or French-sounding, at any rate) person I'd ever met, so, like with so many of my reactions to her, I was at a loss to explain it.

We _were_ allowed outside, as it happened, but naturally couldn't leave school grounds. Claire didn't seem to overly enjoy doing so (given that she seemed pretty good at Concealing when she wanted to, however, I couldn't be certain of that, yet), though maybe after being there for years, she was just so used to it that there wasn't anything there to appeal to her. As both students and representatives of our countries, we obviously couldn't go around climbing any trees (I was pretty sure the guards - both the school's and our own - would have a fit if I tried it anyway), there were no animals to feed, no horses to ride... You could get some fresh air that way, but that was about it. (The guards would keep too close an eye on you while outdoors, Claire explained, to allow for any real privacy.) The weather was still lovely, though, and while the school itself wasn't overly attractive, the countryside was, and having a mountain that close was something of a new experience. (There were mountains back home, as I've noted before, and I had seen some of them during the beginning of my sea voyage, but that had been in the distance, and I hadn't been able to take in any details... and honestly, I was paying more attention to the ocean and the boat itself.) Part of me wanted to try and climb it one day, though I kept that desire to myself for the time being. It wasn't at all ladylike, after all, so I wasn't sure if Claire would approve.

Monday came around all too soon. I'll admit, I was _very_ nervous when it came time to go down for breakfast. (We'd had meals delivered to our room over the weekend, to spare the staff from having to set things up in the dining room just for the few of us that were present.) "I've never had so many people present during a meal, before," I confessed to Claire as we were getting ready to face the day. It didn't take her terribly long at all, telling me that yes, she pretty much woke up looking that good. Given the constant battle I faced with my hair every morning, I thought that was rather unfair. (I also hadn't quite _remembered_ what my hair usually looked like when I woke up until I saw her blinking at me in surprise that first morning, and had promptly ducked under the covers until she left the room. She'd seemed slightly amused later, but had assured me that she just found my hair's disarray "charming". She'd taken to ducking into the lavatory once she saw me waking up - she was _always_ awake before me - to give me an opportunity to deal with it before facing her, though, as she knew it still bothered me.)

She had an understanding expression on her face, making me wonder what _her_ first days at the school must have been like for her. Probably _far_ more tense, given even the little that she'd revealed about her home life. "Think of it as being something like a state dinner, but far less formal," she suggested. "Be on your guard, certainly, but none of the other students present are likely to cause you any real problems." There had been a few girls there when Claire had first arrived that had been meaner and more manipulative than any politician, she'd revealed, though they'd also graduated that year, and she'd been able to handle them without difficulty. I was just glad that I evidently wouldn't have to try and do the same.

"Right." I'd never attended an actual state dinner, but I'd had lessons about what to do and how to act, so I knew what she meant. I still had to fight to keep from fidgeting as we headed downstairs. We were the first ones to arrive - Claire liked getting places early, I think as much to make sure the room was secure as make certain she had plenty of time to get there, even accounting for unavoidable delays - which didn't help much with my anxiety, as that just meant I had nothing to do but sit there, waiting and worrying about all the ways I could screw things up.

Right up until Claire reached out and took my hand, giving it a brief squeeze before letting go and withdrawing. After that, I couldn't think of... well, much of anything, really. My thoughts were a chaotic jumble, impossible to pick out any specifics. I still hadn't figured out why I kept reacting to Claire the way I was, and it was starting to become troubling.

Ironically, the arrival of the first of our schoolmates provided a welcome distraction. "Good morning, Kathryn," Claire said politely, and I straightened up in my chair, banishing the confusing tangle of thoughts from my mind as best I could.

Kathryn Brown, Claire had told me, was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. He was in Europe on business so frequently that he'd enrolled his daughter in school there, so as to be closer to her. I thought that was nice - certainly better than just leaving her under the care of nannies and/or governesses back in America, as he easily could have done. Traveling all over with her father sounded like fun, too, and I was sure she'd seen a lot of amazing places. Claire, however, thought that she wouldn't have been allowed to wander off on her own, and any traveling was done for business reasons, meaning not a lot of time left over for sightseeing, which did sound rather sad. As such, she'd warned me not to bring up the subject (though discussing it if Kathryn did was perfectly fine), and not to call her lucky. I'd resolved to figure out for myself what Kathryn thought of her father and her life. She was our age, so I'd have three years to manage it.

"Your Highness," she replied with a slight nod. It wasn't at all rude, but there wasn't any real warmth in her voice when talking to Claire, either. Catching sight of me, she corrected, "Highnesses."

Well, that wouldn't do. I wanted to make as many friends there as I could, and I wouldn't be able to do that if they all felt they had to maintain a formal, respective distance. "My name's Anna," I told her with as open and friendly of a smile as I could manage. "It's really good to meet you."

She paused mid-step, looking at me in surprise. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to say anything like that, though after a second or two to process it, just as clearly had no problem with it. "And you, as well. You're from Norway?" she asked as she sat down. The school didn't have a uniform, as such, but from what Claire had told me, it was just as well I'd packed my wardrobe by how ladylike it would make me look. Formalwear wasn't required - or even overly encouraged, really - particularly in cold weather, when students might want to bundle up. That morning, I was wearing a light green shirt underneath a darker green dress that ended at my shins (I'd learned long ago not to wear anything that fell down to my feet, as I _would_ inevitably trip over it... repeatedly), while Claire was wearing a white blouse tucked into a white skirt, with a matching belt, giving the impression of wearing a dress without actually doing so. Why not just wear the dress and have done with it, I wasn't sure. Unlike me, she was also wearing boots instead of flat shoes. In case she needed to do a lot of running? With them mostly hidden by her skirt, you couldn't tell unless you spent a lot of time staring at her (like I did), and I privately resolved to look into getting some for myself. Anything that let me look appropriate yet still have the option of running around as much as I needed to was something I was entirely in favor of.

Kathryn, for her part, was wearing a chiffon colored dress. (I couldn't see her feet, but I was willing to bet her shoes matched it. Checking would have just seemed odd - and likely been rude - and it didn't really matter, so I set the thought aside and moved on.) "Yes," I told her. "Arendelle, specifically." I didn't want to brag about my kingdom, but disparaging it was completely unacceptable, given that I was Arendelle's representative at Institut Kronenberg, so I just left it at that.

"What's it like there?" Her dark brown hair was tied back, though not braided as mine was. (I'd been worried that the twin braids might come across as childish, but Claire assured me that our schoolmates would know enough about other cultures not to automatically judge things by their own standards. My hairstyle wasn't terribly unusual in Arendelle - or even Norway - so I had nothing to worry about. I hoped she was right.)

I considered that. "Beautiful. A little cold." I allowed myself a slightly sheepish smile as I added, "I didn't really get out much, before now." As little experience as I had with the great big world, I knew the other girls would pick up on that fact fairly quickly, so I reasoned I might as well just admit it, so as not to seem to be trying to pretend to be something I wasn't.

"I've never been that far north, myself." She offered a little shrug, smiling back at me. "I live in Virginia." Her smile collapsed, and she sighed. "Or I did, anyway. Technically, I suppose I still do, but I haven't set foot stateside in over a year, and that was barely even a brief visit." I'd never heard an American speak before, and was struck by how, well, _flat_ her accent seemed. "Though we're only on the move so much because Dad's business is going so well, so I can't exactly complain about it to him." She shook her head once sharply, then abruptly changed the subject. "What brings _you_ to a school so far from home?"

That was a potentially risky question to answer, but I couldn't just ignore it, so I went with a technically accurate answer... at least, as far as what I'd actually been told _myself_ went. "Institut Kronenberg is a rather well-known international school for girls," I began. It would have had to be, for my parents to have heard enough about it to send me here. "My parents sent me here to expand my horizons, and get a better understanding of the world at large." That they seemed to want me as far away as they could get away with sending me was none of her business. "If you ever _want_ to go to Norway, you could always give me some information to pass along to my parents about your father's business. He might be able to provide something we could use." Not knowing all that much about our trading, I couldn't say for sure. I _did_ know that our closest trading partner, Wesselton, could be difficult to deal with, at times, and an alternative might be appreciated.

"I'll keep that in mind," she promised, looking far from displeased. The idea that I'd already found a way to potentially benefit Arendelle perked me up, too. Maybe that would help prove to my family that I had some value, after all?

Though... It might also suggest to them that sending me away was the right thing to do. I pushed that thought away as hard as I could.

The rest of the girls began arriving shortly thereafter, one or two at a time. Noriko Yamaguchi was easy to pick out of the crowd, being the only Asian girl in the entire school, maybe even this entire part of Switzerland. That must have made her feel terribly isolated, I thought, even more so than I did. I privately resolved to get to know her better, and try to ease her loneliness, if I could. Her English was excellent - which was good, as I didn't really know any Japanese at all - and mentioning that brought to light that Kathryn didn't speak anything other than English at all, which had made making friends - or even finding someone to talk to - during her travels with her father difficult, at times. That made me even more glad I hadn't mentioned how lucky she seemed to me, to be able to travel around so frequently.

I guess I could make smart decisions sometimes, after all.

Of the remaining eight girls, five were from various parts of Switzerland. Mia and Lara Gessner were sisters, and looked it. Only a year apart, Lara (the elder of the two) was maybe an inch shorter than her sister. Both had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Elena Burk was actually shorter than I was (which was a nice change of pace), with darker blonde hair and brown eyes. Nora Grunwald was apparently from the German part of Switzerland - I could detect a slightly different accent in her English than the others had - and was a brunette, with her hair cut short. It worked for her, though, to the point where, when I eventually got to know her better, the idea of her with long hair just seemed wrong. Emily Mylin had honey blonde hair, light brown eyes, and seemed like she'd be more at home in Italy than Switzerland, yet didn't seem like she'd ever want to leave.

Grace Laird was from Scotland originally (though her family had moved to Spain when she was five, leaving her with an... _interesting_ accent), and was the only other redhead in the school. (I'd wondered, more than once over the years, why I was the only redhead in my family. I'd never gotten an answer.) Delia Barros and Olivia Herrera had also come to the school from Spain, though they'd been born there. Delia was _very_ tall, standing at about two meters (or six feet, according to Kathryn, who didn't seem very fond of the metric system), and was fairly lean, as if her body mass had all gone to height, with none left to fill her out. Olivia was significantly shorter (though still taller than I was), filled out her short red dress _very_ well.

(I don't think Claire was happy that I noticed that, though I wasn't sure why.)

Breakfast itself was scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and rösti, along with our choice of milk, tea, or orange juice. It was different from anything I'd ever had at home (where open sandwiches - with meat cuts, spreads, cheese or jam - and cereals such as corn flakes, muesli or oatmeal were more normal), but I liked it. Hopefully, that would apply to the school itself, as well. I was going to be there for the better part of three years, after all. That would be a lot easier to bear if I liked the school _and_ my schoolmates.

Well, I'd already made one friend (I hoped), and was getting along well enough with at least two of the other girls. That was a good start, right? On the other hand, this was only breakfast. I hadn't even gotten to class, yet. That could go much worse.

All I could do was hope for the best.


End file.
